The parties to the “fiscal cliff” negotiations — namely Congress and the Obama administration — have presented U.S. students with one lousy lesson in civics while violating the principles of cooperative learning and failing to follow good work/study habits.

One or both of the parties have procrastinated, blown deadlines, failed to set a timetable for getting their work done, engaged in name calling and scare tactics, refused to compromise for the good of the country, exaggerated or outright lied, blown their budget, failed to be transparent and show their work, and thoughtlessly ruined everybody’s holiday vacation.

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Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.